Saturday, January 10, 2009

It is not for close-up work, this is for professional performers who's audiences exceed thirty spectators. It is not simple, on first take you will probably feel daunted and weary; don't say I didn't warn you. And, although it is completely bulletproof, it is not for the faint of heart; as you will have to improvise and riff it's themes throughout.

No pre-show work.

Nothing is written down.

So then, what is it?

It is about a half hour show, give or take ten minutes, that fits in your pocket (basically a red and blue deck). It is the closest thing to direct mind reading possible with a deck of cards that you can do for the proper sized audience. It is an engineering marvel of mechanical and psychological construction that will leave your audience feeling as if they have witnessed the "real" thing!

It's card magic that looks & feels like a Q & A mentalism act.

It makes the Tossed-Out Deck obsolete.

It's cost is $1000.

All potential buyers are screened first.

If you have a bad rep in the magic community, please, disregard this message - as you will self-destruct in T-minus 9, 8, 7...

Those who have survived the preceeding can begin the process by addressing a message to paul@paulvigil.com

Serious inquires only.

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"Looking for a simple, self-working piece of card magic where the special deck does it all for you? Keep looking.

"Students of card magic who have always secretly asked themselves "Am I worthy?" now have a standard with which they can answer that question. Vigil has applied his trademark diligence and intelligence in constructing a piece of transcendental card magic that moves beyond simply finding cards to a convincing demonstration of reading the thoughts of an entire audience. Paul has engineered a great beginning, a pleasingly adaptable middle and a killer ending.

"If you think you are ready to graduate from Card College, HCE is Card Grad School."

- Michael Weber

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"Paul, I'm floored by the high-level thinking that went into this routine; it's a stunner.

"With your razor-sharp concept (and "cheat sheet" principles to make HCE so much easier to learn) I'm skewering audiences with displays of psychic precision that leaves them slack jawed."

- Dr. Steve Bedwell

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"Paul, this is just astonishing!

"I am at a loss for words.

"The effect is truly amazing and the ending is absolutely staggering.

"Congratulations! You have created a first class mystery."

- Eugene Burger

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"H.C.E. is a strong, clean, and powerful mental effect...

"... no monkeying around and no overt procedure neccessary.

"In plain English, the trick is Great - with a capital G.

"What becomes abundantly clear [...] is that Vigil, through what were doubtless sleepless nights and days of tinkering, has devised a magical engineering marvel, a procedure that takes the [...] principle [...] to new and staggering heights [...] H.C.E is a case where all of the lumps in the mattress have been smoothed out, without others popping up in the process."

- Magic Magazine (July 2009)

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"Awesome.

"Wow.

"Truly fabulous. One of the most impressive things I've come across in quite some time.

"You've taken some classic -- in some cases, ancient principles -- and brought some genuinely original invention to the table. Fresh and genuinely impressive.

"Congratulations on a unique creation and a distinctive achievement."

- Jamy Ian Swiss

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"I would love to see Paul Vigil's masterwork diagrammed onto a canvas and hung on a wall, so one could reverently contemplate its complex perfection.

"This rare, endlessly beautiful thing is somewhat of a locked book... which will only be accessed by a few, deeply commited perfectionists."

- Paul Harris

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"Paul Vigil's 'HCE' is the secret closer to my show.

"I was present during its maiden voyage and sat on the edge of my seat, spellbound and captivated as 20+ people each received the individual experience of having their mind read.

"With each revelation of a thought-of card the audience reacted uniformly; their gasps would break the silence first and this moment was always followed by tremendous, spontaneous applause.

"Imagine over 20 more such reactions which continued through to a standing ovation and you will begin to realize the value and power behind 'HCE.'

I've modified it to work with my Q&A and was the first person to hand Paul a cool $1000 for the manuscript and performance rights to this piece.

"The deal was made on the spot. I haven't looked back since."

- Jerome Finley

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"Paul Vigil is the man Noblezada calls "the best close-up magician in Las Vegas." He's a friend and inspiration to Luke Jermay. He's a free thinker and an explorer of the mind. And above all else he's a kind human who loves the art of magic as much as anyone on earth.

"Paul has literally spent most of the last two years locked in his living room working out the method for an effect that is far beyond anything most card magicians will ever perform.

"I saw Paul perform the effect live at the Luke Jermay Mentalism Workshop #3. It is without question the most unbelievable mind reading card act I have ever seen.

"It's not for sale on Penguin and Penguin makes absolutely no profit from it in any way. But I wanted to point you in the direction because it's that good. It's absolutely not for everybody. It's $1000 and it's not for sale unless you can convince Paul you're right for it.

"It is really that good."

- Maxwell Murphy

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"C*ck sh*t holy f*ck!!! I can not believe that you are going to give this power to the common folk.

"We are not worthy. This is real deal mind reading. If you are serious let me tell you. This IS very serious.

"Wow... I have tried this twice and CAN NOT believe the reaction.

"Holy f*cking sh*t I can read a motherf*ckers mind now.

"This is how cults and religions are formed. This may be the closest thing to what being able to read a persons mind feels like.

"Paul, I have one thing to say. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not release this.

"$1000 is just not enough. I would have been happy at 3 times the price."

- Chris Kenner

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" H.C.E. is incredible!

For once an effect that actually allows you to genuinely look as if you can read peoples minds!

I can't express in words how beautifully constructed this mental marvel is. If you could bottle this, it would probably be a deep emerald green liquid with a mysterious thick gas escaping from the tightly corked opening. It would be kept in a silver flight case normally reserved for sniper riffles whilst emitting a deep foreboding sound-wave that cracks skulls and shatters minds.

I don't know what else to say...this is bloody amazing! "

- Benjamin Earl

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"Paul's HCE is a professional level routine.

"The method he's brought to the table has been honed by deep thinking combined with trial and error. It's an incredible tool. Like any tool in the hands of a craftsman you can create art, in the hands of someone less skilled the results will be less.

"HCE is extremely diabolical. It's release is strictly aimed at professionals who need something special and spectacular in their show that will raise the bar. Something not everybody has or can do. HCE will take work to master.

"I've seen Paul perform the act and it comes off as "Real Mindreading."

"Is it worth $1000.00...absolutely. Is it for everybody? Absolutely not!"

- Bob Kohler

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"Word around The Magic Castle is that you aren't doing Magic in there... it's that you REALLY are reading people's minds!

"By the way, I have seen Vigil perform H.C.E. on three occasions, and I have read the 35-page manuscript. The routine played liked gang busters, and looked like real mindreading. The manuscript is incredibly detailed, the thinking deep and diabolical. "

- John Lovick

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"HCE is not a trick.

"It is not magic.

"It is not even mentalism.

"HCE is a work of art, an engineering marvel and a piece of theatre.

"Honestly, I can't believe Paul is going to share this.

"The bottom line is if Paul Vigil offers you Kool-Aid...you drink it!"

"After reading it through and understanding the psychology behind every detail, I managed to wrap my head around it. I am a Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineer by trade, and it took me a few days to get the jist of every nuance Paul offers.

"This is the best routine out there, and is worth its price and more.

"Hang on to your hats gentlemen, this is the real Jedi mind power!"

- Alex Hinojosa

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"H.C.E. is reading beautifully!

"The goose bump- raising thrill of apparent real mind reading, for the audience and the performer, is palpable as I read the multiple, layered methods and script."

- G.W., New York City

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"I actually saw Paul perform this at the Magic Castle in the Parlor of Prestidigitation. I was blown away. The best way to describe this effect would be that it was one of the absolute best demonstrations of real mind reading I have ever seen. He basically has about 25-30 people thinking of a card, and tells every single person, one by one, individually which card they are thinking of. And the end is just fantastic, which I won't give away. Everything was completly fair. There was no naming a bunch of cards, and having everyone sit down if they heard their card. Nothing vague. Everything was specific to each individual person. That's what made this effect so great, watching each person's face as they had a personal mind reading experience. Just Paul and them one on one for that moment. I can see how it would be just as much of a pleasure, and enjoyable to perform this, as it is for the audience to experience it. To watch a performer build a one on one connection with 30 people intimatly was a rare treat."

- Brandon Queen

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"I had the chance to witness this effect performed by Mr.Vigil himself and was floored. I have NEVER seen something that looked so much like real mind reading in my life! When the performance ended the room erupted. This wasn't a room full of people without magical knowledge, rather, it was full of real world, high honored professionals.

"Sure, $1000 is a lot of money for a single effect, but, believe you me, that if you had seen this action, you would know that the idea of Paul giving this secret away at ANY price seems ludicrous."

- Rob Domenech

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"This is absolutely ingenious.

"The fact that you came up with this confirms my suspicion that you are definitely not of this earth. You are on another level than us mere mortals.

"The thinking behind this work of art is absolutely sick!

"I thank you for the opportunity to learn such an elegant and intellectually challenging piece."

- Michael Uphues D.O.

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"If you're not familiar with Paul's work, then I strongly encourage you to buy everything he has ever put out. Every effect that I have used of Paul's has hit really, really hard.

"With that said, 'HCE' is Paul's magnum opus.

"There are few effects that I've seen performed that hit as hard as HCE. If you are a working performer, then you would be foolish to not consider getting a copy of HCE.

"It's really that good. And... it's worth every penny.

"Thank you, Paul, for making mentalism a mind-warping wonder... even to fellow mentalists. I feel like a kid all over again."

- Jim Munroe

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"I want to tell you about the greatest mind-reading routine I have ever seen...

"HCE, by Paul Vigil.

"Paul performed HCE at NX09 and floored EVERYONE. I've never seen a routine this clean and focused, leaving me to believe one thing: This guy is really reading our minds!

"You won't find it on YouTube, you can't download it, because it isn't a DVD.

"...unless you've seen it performed live, you have no idea. It's like talking about the greatest dish in the world, but without having tasted it, and only reading the menu. Oh, how sweet it is..."

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About Me

Paul Vigil currently lives and works in Las Vegas. He is an expert at perceptual manipulation within the field of magical arts and focuses on mind bending entertainment for the thinking audience.
"Paul Vigil is soft-spoken and humble, but behind that compelling demeanor is a diabolical mind. He is one of the best magicians working today!"
— Lance Burton, World Champion Magician
"Paul Vigil is the kind of magician who strives to create an experience of real magic for his audiences. He is methodical, compelling, and has a way of weaving a spell over his spectators so that they believe what he is doing is actually otherworldly."
— MAGIC, The Magazine for Magicians
"I have been around magic and great magicians all my life. I can appreciate and respect good magic. I can be amused. I can be compelled. But I have never before been completely blown away... Paul Vigil blew me away!!!!!!"
— Jason Alexander , aka George Costanza on the award-winning Seinfeld